Nick's restaurant picks: A year of eating dangerously
The Warsaw dining scene continues to get more interesting. Thirty of the 50 restaurants I visited this year were new, continuing a strong growth trend from 1998. Not all of them were good, but there are still plenty of outfits to recommend in Warsaw. As we head into the new millennium, keep the following restaurants in mind when you want a nice meal and keep watching this space for news on all the new places sure to be opening up in 2000.
For breakfast, the choice has to be Szpilka (plac Trzech Krzyzy 18). Granted, it's about the only place open at 7 a.m., but their thick, rich omelet stuffed with bacon can't be beat, and the coffee, especially their wicked strong house blend "szpilka cafe," is unrivaled. This popular cafe/bar also has a decent lunch/dinner menu, but if you go anytime after 7 p.m., count on waiting for a table as it is always packed.
Just across the square from Szpilka is another of my favorites, Adler (ul. Mokotowska 69). This Polish-Bavarian style inn serves the best white sausage and mustard I've ever tasted outside of Germany, as well as monster-sized beef shish kebobs from the grill. A guitarist plucks out fun background music, and beer swilling by relaxing execs gives the place a lively atmosphere.
A third favorite spot of mine is also located nearby. Buffo (ul. Marii Konopnickiej 6) is connected to the musical theater of the same name. That lends it some buzz as the after-theater crowd comes in, often accompanied by the evening's performers. The chef, Maciej Kuron, has his own cooking program on television and serves the best flaki (tripe) in Warsaw, but he also reinvents traditional Polish cuisine in a fresh, exciting way. If tripe's not your thing, try the golonka (pork knuckle) another Warsaw best.
Also worth trying in this neighborhood is Hawelka (ul. Wiejska 2), which is a short walk from plac Trzech Krzyzy. This place serves some of the best traditional Polish food in Warsaw, but the atmosphere is rather stiff it's inside the Parliament building. While deputies usually eat in the adjacent private dining hall, Hawelka often hosts parties for visiting foreign dignitaries. Try the zrazy (beef rolls), kasza gryczana (buckwheat), borowiki (forest mushrooms) in puff pastry and raki a rare Polish crayfish.
Heading up the "royal route" toward Old Town are a few places worth recommending. Just off ulica Nowy Swiat is my favorite Italian place, Chianti (ul. Foksal 17). Chef Giancarlo Russo's homemade pasta and sinfully rich tiramisu beat every other Italian restaurant's hands down. They also serve a proper shot of Sambucca, flambe and with three coffee beans roasting on the bottom.
Further up the street is Bistrot (ul. Foksal 2), whose chocolate mousse I still dream about. The beef carpaccio in honey and mustard sauce and the spinach in vinaigrette made from extra-virgin Italian olive oil are also fabulous, but the staff was rude, and they should be ashamed of the plonk house wine for which they have the gall to charge zl. 14 a glass.
Near Old Town we come to Hotel Bristol (ulica Krakowskie Przedmiescie 42/44), whose Marconi restaurant, for my money, puts on the best Sunday brunch in town. They treat you and feed you like royalty, and keep your champagne glass full.
In the Old Town, Russian restaurant Tsarina (ul. Jezuicka 1/3) is fantastically overpriced, but the service is top-notch and the over-the-top interior decor make this a place to try, if only once.
From the Old Town, it's just a short hop across the river Wisla to Le Cedre (Al. Solidarnosci 61), which is still the best place to dine on spicy Lebanese specialties. Also worth visiting while on the east bank is Dom Polski (ul. Francuska 11), which serves a traditional Polish menu in the friendly confines of a converted home. Eating here feels like dinner at grandma's.
Before leaving Praga, definitely visit the Boat House (ul. Wal Miedzeszynski 389A), one of this year's best newcomers. Perfectly trained staff; an attractive, nautically themed dining room and a creative Italian-Mediterranean menu make this a port of call you don't want to miss.
I also found Warsaw rich in good Spanish restaurants. The best is Valencia (ul. Stawki 2), whose dining room is perched atop the Intraco office tower, which gives you a nice view of the city while devouring Spanish specialties such as serrano ham and manchego cheese. Valencia also wins my vote for Warsaw's nicest waitress. Two other Spanish restaurants, El Corazon (ul. Rozbrat 8) and Don Carlos (ul. G. Morcinka 5, in the Bemowo district) serve delicious paella and Spanish omelets, in more modest settings but also with friendly service.
And lastly, if it's Asian cuisine you're after, try Inaba (ul. Nowogrodzka 84/86) for authentic Japanese, including, of course, sushi, and Las (ul. Niepodleglosci 43) for Korean. Both places also offer karaoke, and Las's private rooms allow for the option to grill your own meal at your table in perfect seclusion.
